This invention relates generally to a door sill structure of the self draining type adapted for use in the base of an exterior door frame of a house or other building. More specifically, the invention relates to such an assembly which also includes an adjustable threshold having means for gathering rain water that has blown or seeped past a primary weather seal located in the door frame plane and for expelling such water from the assembly.
Broadly speaking, self draining door sill assemblies for use in exterior door frames are known in the prior art. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,779 issued to D. W. Kehrli et al. on May 23, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,686,793 issued to N. J. Mills on Aug. 18, 1987; U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,991 issued to J. R. Seely on Jan. 19, 1982; U.S. Pat. No. 4,055,917 issued to J. Coller on Nov. 1, 1977; U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,420 issued to P. E. Tibbetts on Dec. 3, 1974 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,167,958 issued to P. R. Oftedal et al. on Aug. 1, 1939.
The door sill structures of Kehrli et al., Mills, Seely, Coller and Tibbetts do not include an adjustable threshold member, which is necessary for assuring a close, compression fit between the member and a primary seal weather strip attached to and along the underside of the door. In fact, of these patents, only the patents to Coller and Tibbetts even disclose a door sill assembly for use with a weather strip attached to the underside of a door.
The patent to Oftedal et al. also discloses a door sill assembly which cooperates with a weatherstrip attached to an underside of an entrance door. However, while the reference structure is said to be adjustable, it is adjustable only horizontally to allow proper positioning of an exteriorally facing flange for proper cooperation with an outer screen door as a screen door stop. The reference structure does not employ means for making separate vertical adjustments along the length of the member underlying the entrance door as would be necessary for assuring satisfactory water tight engagement between the member and the weatherstrip uniformly along the bottom edge of the door.
By means of my invention these and other difficulties encountered using door sill construction of the prior art are substantially overcome.